"the beast" returns

[davemerrill]

Back when Let's Anime was a print zine, one of the goofier features was a "advice column" by somebody called "The Beast" who would answer fake questions. Clearly inspiring future anime-themed advice features (I'm looking at YOU, "ANSWER MAN"!!) the columnist's name was totally ripped off from a character used in various "behind the scenes" strips featured in 2000 A.D., a robot editor sent to whip the various robot artists and writers into shape, whose full name was Milton "The Beast" Shrimpton, the best possible name for a vicious robot editor.

Anyway, I have painstakingly typed those old columns back into digital form and they now are up at the online Let's Anime for all to enjoy. Enjoy! There are some goofy photoshopped illustrations as well that I really enjoyed making.

There MAY have been a "Beast" column in Let's Anime #2, but my only extant copy of that issue is missing some pages, and I don't have my original artwork or pasteups. So who knows? One thing I DO know after digging through 18 year old zines is that at that time I did NOT know what "justify" meant in terms of type. I still don't, half the time. A graphic designer, I ain't.

Comments

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

Well, by some freaky thing I happen to have *2* copies of Let's Anime! #2

There is a 'The Beast' column in #2, mostly about Shonen Knife. I am gathering stuff to ship you, should I include this? For history and stuff? Dunno about you but having a copy missing pages would make me nuts from OCD.

I'm still freaking out from somehow losing an issue of the C/Fo magazine in the mail. That unfilled and impossible to get hole in my collection gives me gray hair!

Speaking of, only 12 Let's Anime!, right? 10-12 being half-size bi-fold issues?

Ahhh, what amazing changes desktop publishing hath writ.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

How would you wind up with 2 copies of #2? That no make sense. I know my copy of #2 is missing pages because it was assembled using a sig that was blank on one side; and obviously I couldn't sell it, and I probably thought it was a keeper and sold all my others. If you can spare the extra it would be swell to have for the archives. I think the Devilman article is the last thing I ever ran that was a straight synopsis.

Yes, Let's Anime was assembled by hand. At least the full size ones. The half-page size Let's Animes were printed at work using the booklet maker. J.V. was doing the design and layout, until he decided that this gave him the right to make editorial changes, particularly to the title of one of Matt's articles.

I may not be a top notch graphic designer, but at least I know enough to NOT MAKE CHANGES TO THE COPY WITHOUT AT LEAST CHECKING WITH THE GUY WHAT WROTE IT.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

I ended up with two copies of #2 because IT WAS GOD'S WILL for just this very moment. Or I dunno. I just did. :)

[childings.livejournal.com]

I've never been able to watch Odin either without falling asleep